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Lao-Shan Lung Ecology
In-Game Information A giant dragon few have seen and lived to tell the tale about. When on the rampage it wreaks havoc on all in its path. The Guild has built a fortress to repel the beast, but will it hold? Taxonomy Suborder:Mountains Dragon - Family:Lao Shan Lung - Species:Lao Shan Lung. An Elder Dragon, albeit a gigantic specimen. Lao-Shan Lung is the 3rd largest Elder Dragon (and is one of the seven Elder Dragons that lack wings, the others being Yama Tsukami, Jhen Mohran, Ceadeus, Kirin, Kirin Subspecies and Dalamadur). Lao-Shan may also be the only fully terrestrial dragon yet seen. The Lao-Shan Lung is also believed to not have a set death age unless killed in battle, so they may still get a lot larger. Habitat Range Lao Shan-Lung can survive in many environments, but prefers mountainous or volcanic areas for their high mineral content. Lao's body colour is determined by its primary feeding areas, Red Lao Shan-Lung is from areas such as the mountains near Pokke or Minegardie, whereas blue-grey is due to ash from the volcanic belt. This leads to the analysis that Lao-Shan Lung's two different colors mark a difference in subspecies. It doesn't stay in one spot, and is constantly on the move, so no one can confirm where it lives permanently. Recently a Lao Shan-Lung's skeletal remains (a skull) has been found frozen in ice in the Polar Sea. Ecological Niche Unknown, possibly a predator or idle grazer. Lao-Shan Lung have very slow metabolisms, but must take in huge quantities of food in order to sustain their massive bodies. Mountain rocks and volcanic ores are said to make up a good portion of the behemoths' diet, but rocks cannot sustain such a large beast alone. It is possible that they scavenge large kills from large wyverns such as Akantors or other great predators, but this unlikely, as such an incident would not occur often enough to sustain Lao-Shan Lung. Some suggests Lao-Shan Lungs are herbivores, taking in huge amounts of plants, but the creatures jaw and tooth structure do not fit a herbivore's build. A Lao's size dwarfs most other known monsters, including giants such as Akantor and Fatalis. The only creature known to strike fear in, and therefore possibly kill, a Lao-Shan is a Fatalis. A fully grown Lao-Shan Lung might have no natural predators and is at the top of the food chain. Biological Adaptations Huge. One of the largest dragons ever documented, rivaled only by colossi such as Ceadeus, Dalamadur, Raviente, and Jhen Mohran. Lao-Shan Lungs are very well armored, although their bellies are vulnerable, as are their heads. Their shells only thicken as the time passes by. A Lao-Shan Lung shell coloration is determined by the kind of mineral particles that float in the atmosphere and get attached to its body as the dragon ages: the ones who dwell in the mountains are colored red because of the abundance of iron particles, while the ones that live near the Volcanic Belt are mostly grey due to ash. Like most dragons, their roar is very loud and can affect hunters a good distance away. Because of their size, getting stepped on or whipped by the tail is very damaging or possibly fatal if the hunter's armor is low grade. Behavior Extremely docile even when facing multiple foes. They appear to care little about hunters, as they mainly ignore them on their way to the town fortress. That said, they will put in a great deal of effort to break the fort rather than simply run away. Only recently confirmed the reasons behind a Lao-Shan Lung movements is their desire to be farther away from Fatalis, no matter what the circumstances. Though other attacks are most likely not from Fatalis as there has been multiple attacks on the fort and are fully aware the hunters are there as they will stand and bite any hunters on bridges and some unusual ones will even speed up faster than a normal Lao-Shan Lung. Lao-Shan Lung are known for sleeping for long periods. Category:Monster Ecology